Another solid team score of 325, equal to the program’s best coming into the tournament, allowed the Adams State College women’s golf team and individual players to set several more school records while finishing a strong second at the Colorado Christian Fall Invitational which wrapped up Tuesday at Raccoon Greek Golf Course.
Coach Jay Meyer’s Grizzlies, who had smashed their school-record by posting a 312 in Monday’s first trip around the 6,054-yard, par-72 course, posted a 2-day team score of 627, an incredible 27 shots better than their former record of 664, set at home at Cattails Golf Course in the season-opening Grizzly Invitational.
In the process, the Grizzlies defeated five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivals by an incredible average of 61.6 shots and placed four members in the top 10.
That group was led by runner-up Kendall Martin who posted a solid round of 80 on Tuesday to finish with a 2-day total of 153, a new individual school-record. Martin had posted a single-round school record of 73 on Monday. Fellow senior Codi Hegg also went under the former 2-day school record of 160 set by Christa Seitz on Sept. 24 and 25, 2007 as she finished fourth in the 8-team, 43-player field with a 2-day score of 157. Hegg carded a team-best 79, aided by two birdies, on Tuesday, a mark that is one of the top 10 single rounds in program history and on the heels of her career-low round of 78 on Monday.
The Grizzlies also got top 10 finishes from junior Kelsey McSpadden and true freshman Kyra Garrison. McSpadden, who finished eighth at 163 carded her third round of 81 in her last four and has now finished in the top 10 in three of her four tournaments this year.
She also now has eight career top 10 finishes matching Seitz’s school-record.
Garrison finished ninth with a 2-day total of 165, a new season best, and earned her first career top 10 finish. She carded an 85 on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies also received a solid 14th place finish from sophomore Samantha Hall Hall posted an 87 on Tuesday and finished with a season-best 2-day score of 168.
Although the Grizzlies’ team score on Tuesday was equal to the second best in program history and the second best amongst the eight teams in the field, it was not quite enough for the Grizzlies to keep pace with Dallas Baptist, which carded an impressive 310 on Tuesday to win the tournament by 10 shots with a 2-day score of 627. The Lady Patriots, who are ranked 10th in Golfstat’s NCAA Division II Head-to-Head rankings, had trailed the Grizzlies by five shots after ASC’s record-setting Monday.
However, they had three players post scores in the 70’s and another card an 80 on Tuesday.
That group was led by individual medalist Mercedes Rios, who posted a 76 on Tuesday to win the individual title by four shots over Martin at 149. Martin and Rios had matched each other stroke-for-stroke in Monday’s round.
Nebraska-Kearney finished third in the team standings at 678, a distant 41 shots behind the Grizzlies, who now have each of their top three single-round scores and three of their top four tournament scores this season.
The Grizzlies, who are an impressive 17.7 shots per round ahead of their team scoring average record, will return to RMAC action next week as they wrap up the fall portion of the campaign at the RMAC Fall Invite #3 to be hosted by Nebraska-Kearney in Gothenburg, Neb. next Monday and Tuesday.